For all parents alike the task of feeding baby can come in two ways. The first one is having a fixed feeding schedule for the child and the other one is feeding a child when he or she shows signs of wanting to eat. Both of these work well but more often than not a fixed feeding schedule is advised to parents. Here are ways on how you can also adopt a feeding schedule for your child.
Most feeding schedules are based on studies which have determined how many times children should be fed on a regular basis. The schedule slightly alters with the child’s age. Beginning with newborn children, feeding baby comes almost instantaneously after a mother gives birth. Doctors will generally advise that mothers feed the newborn infant every three hours. This involves waking the baby up for feeding time in order to make sure that the child is getting an adequate amount of nutrition. There is a choice between breast milk and formula. The former is much easier to digest than the latter. For breast feeding mothers, a regular interval of one to three hours is necessary for feeding and the formula will call for three hour intervals. Read some tips when feeding baby for more useful tips about feeding your baby.
Feeding baby when he or she is at three to six months old is a slightly difficult process. This is because the baby will tend to move around more at this age. In addition, a number of babies at this age will still not be able to handle solid foods well and so there are parents which delay the solid food feeding until the child gets a bit older. Babies who are aged at around seven months to a year old can easier be fed with solid foods. Also, a schedule will be much easier to keep at this age. At this age, you should start feeding baby with a combination of breast milk or formula plus solid foods.
Starting with solid food feeding is a challenge for most children and so you can simply start them off by giving them a minimal amount of solids then allow them to finish their bottle of milk or formula. If they do not respond well to solids when you first introduce the foods then simply forego the solid food feeding for a week or so and just try again later on. Pay attention to how your child reacts to food and use this information to create a feeding schedule for him or her. You can easily adjust the schedule to fit your child’s eating habits is there is a sign of struggling when feeding baby. Give your child some adjustment time when you start feeding him or her with solid foods.
